Tooth brush



'April 19, 1938. I p WARSAW 4 2,114,947

. TOOTH BRUSH Filed Sept. 3, 1935 I Pzo flarsaf v A ms ATTORNEYSPatented Apr. 19, 1938 UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to dental equipment, and has among its objects andadvantages the provision of an improved tooth brush.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my brush showing its application totheouter tooth surfaces of a human mouth;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bristle side;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3+3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the brush showing its application to theinner tooth surfaces, with the brush ,positioned in parallel alignmentwith the teeth; and

5 is a perspective view of a tuft of bristles illustrating my novelmeans for anchoring the tufts.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, I make use of ahandle ll) of any suitable material. One end of this handle constitutesthe bristle retaining head l2. This head terminates in a neck l4 mergingwith the handle I B. The inner surface iii of the head I2 is straight,which is also true of the inner surface l8 of the neck 14. Thesesurfaces are arranged at an obtuse angle to each other. In crosssection, the head l2 and the neck [4 are shaped to provide a gentlecurvature about the outer face 20 and the sides 22, while the end 24 ofthe head I2 is rounded.

Along the surfaces l6 and i8, tufts of bristles 26 are inserted andanchored in the manner illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5. In Fig. 5, the tuft26 comprises a group of bristles bent back upon themselves at 28, with awire 30 positioned between the two groups 32 of the bristles. With thewire 36 positioned between the folded bristles, the wire is wound aboutthe folded bristles to define a convolution 34 which binds the twogroups 32 into assembled relation as a unit group. The ends of the wireproject beyond the tuft as at 36 to provide anchoring means which areimbedded in the material of the head l2 and neck M, as indicated at 38,in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1, I illustrate the handle H) as being arranged generally at anangle to the head l2. This angularity conforms generally to the obtuseangle between the neck l4 and the head I2. I prefer to shape the tufts26 so that the tips of the tufts lie in a straight line 40 intersectingthe handle ID at 42.

In Fig. 2, I illustrate the tufts 26 as being arranged in three rows 44aligned in parallel relation with the longitudinal axis of the handleI0.

I'he tufts in the rows 44 are grouped in curved rows of three tufts withrespect to the transverse axis of the head l2 and the neck I4. I findthat the curved rows perform an effective cleansing action. suchrelation that the bristles of each tuft are braced by the bristles in anadjacent tuft.

Referring to Fig. 3, the tufts 26 in the central row 44 are slightlyshorter than the tufts in the two outside rows, whereby a groove-likeformation 46 is provided which facilitates the holding of powder orother cleansing materials applied to the bristles. Each tuft is taperedat 48, which taper terminates in a flat end 50 so that the tapered parttakes the form of a truncated cone.

My handle is shaped to provide two curved reaches 52 and 54, whichreaches are separated by a depression 56 resulting in a hump 56projecting from the inner side of the handle. The neck l4 and theadjoining end of the curved part 52 define a depression 60.

In viewing the handle I 0 according to Fig. 2, the handle and neck arenarrowed at 62 in the vicinity of the depression 60, while the curvedpart 52 bulges laterally at 64. The handle is narrowed at 66 in thevicinity of the depression 56, while the curved part 54 is bulged at 68with its end rounded at Ill and provided with an opening 12 for thereception of a supporting pin or hook. 7

I In Fig. 1, the tufts 26 are arranged with their longitudinal axis atan angle to the face I6. This angularity substantially defines a rightangle with respect to the general longitudinal axis of the handle Hi. Itwill be noted that the end tufts of the head l2 and the tufts anchoredin the neck l4 are inclined inwardly so as to perform a bracing functionfor the other tufts.

In operation, my handle is shaped to facilitate an effective gripthereon. The handle may be gripped in different ways, but theconstruction is such as to compel the user to apply a proper adjustmentof the fingers. In manipulating the brush while grasped at the outer endof the handle l0, two fingers may be passed over the outerside of thecurved part 54, with the thumb positioned underneath the handle inabutting relation with the grip 58. A second type of grip consists inpassing three fingers over the curved part 54, with the thumb positionedbeyond the hump 58. In cases where the handle is supported in the palmof the hand, four fingers pass over the curved parts 52 and 54, with thethumb positioned in the concavity of the reach In addition, the tuftsare arranged in 52. Regardless of the type of grip employed, a firmgrasp is attained.

In Fig. 4, I illustrate the significance of one phase of my brushconstruction. In brushing the teeth according to the illustration, thedepression provides accommodation for the upper teeth, While theangularity of the handle If! is such as to facilitate manipulation ofthe bristles without interference. The angularity of the bristle tuftswith respect to the handle is such as to provide accessibility to theinner faces of the teeth.

Fig. 1 shows the relation of the brush handle to the curvature of theteeth. The angularity of the handle with respect to the tufts of thebristles is such that the brush may be manipulated freely withoutobstruction and with no widening of the mouth.

In inclining the tufts, I provide a bristle construction which is lesssevere on the gums than in cases where the bristles are positioned atright angles to the inner face of the brush head, and the angularity ofthe bristle tufts with respect to the brush handle makes foraccessibility to all surfaces of the teeth. I have found that tuftsarranged according to the curved lines 14, of Fig. 2, provide aneffective cleansing action, particularly in cases where the bristleassembly is oscillated about a short radius.

The bulges 64 and 68 facilitate an effective grip, in addition to theformation of the handle when viewed according to Fig. 1. The. head l2,when viewed according to Fig. 2, tapers gently in the direction of theneck [4. All parts of the brush when viewed in cross section are shapedto provide a gentle curvature.

In addition to providing a trough for the reception of cleansingmaterial, the groove-like formation 46 provides a bristle configurationwhich performs an effective cleansing action on convex surfaces.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain myinvention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adaptthe same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

1. A tooth brush comprising a bristle supporting head, a handle and aneck connecting the handle with the head, said handle and neck beingarranged at an angle to the bristle supporting head, the generalangularity of the handle conforming to the angularity of the neck withrespect to the head, tufts of bristles anchored in the head and saidneck, said tufts being inclined longitudinally with respect to the head,said handle being shaped to provide two bowed reaches bowed in the samedirection, and each side edge of said handle being shaped to provide tworeaches bowed in the same direction.

2. In a tooth brush, a head, tufts of bristles anchored to the head inoblique alignment longitudinally therewith, the free ends of the tuftsbeing shaped to define truncated cones with the tops and bases of thecones arranged in parallel relation with the head.

PHILIP WARSAW.

